Transcript www.ala.org/oitp Telephone 202 628 8410 Fax 202 628 8419 The U.S. Library Community – Public Policy & Future Directions Perspectives from the American Library Association, Office.

www.ala.org/oitp
Telephone 202 628 8410
Fax 202 628 8419
The U.S. Library Community –
Public Policy & Future Directions
Perspectives from the American Library Association,
Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)
Alan S. Inouye, Ph.D.
February 18, 2009
Outline for Today’s Session
• A Few Facts About Libraryland
• Why Does the Library Community Care About
Information (Technology) Public Policy?
• Selected Public Policy Priorities and
Current Activities (Excluding “Future of Libraries”)
• Directions for the Future of Libraries – OITP
Program and Approach
• Future of Libraries – Selected Trends and Preliminary
Thoughts
• Discussion
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A Few Facts About Libraryland
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Great Diversity in
Library Organizations
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Research
College (4-year and community)
Public
School
Federal (including military)
State
Special
Virtual (e.g., http://www.ipl.org)
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How Many Libraries Are There?
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296
99,783
9,066
16,592
1,159
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/library/library
factsheet/alalibraryfactsheet1.cfm
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What is the American Library
Association (ALA)?
• Member-based: The who and what of members
• Services to members, representation of community
• Organization
– Divisions
– Offices
– Other entities
• How members participate in the association
– Committees and other collective entities
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ALA (Library) Values
• All forms of literacy
• First Amendment rights, intellectual
freedom, & privacy
• Equity of access and fair use
• Preservation of our [American] cultural
heritage
• Free, permanent public access to
government information
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ALA Washington Office
• Mission: Research, education, advocacy,
and lobbying
– Office of Government Relations (OGR)
– Office for Information Technology Policy
(OITP)
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What is OITP? Products, Services,
and Advocacy (1)
• Products (Classes and Examples)
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Books: The Complete Copyright
Reports and policy briefs. Digital Rights Mgmt
Physical artifacts: Public Domain Slider
Articles: Library broadband in Public Libraries
Official submissions: FCC comments
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What is OITP? Products, Services,
and Advocacy (2)
• Services
–
–
–
–
–
Copyright Advisory Network (CAN)
“Reference desk” work
Presentations at conferences, organizations, etc.
Consulting to state libraries
Education and consulting to state E-rate
coordinators
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What is OITP? Products, Services,
and Advocacy (3)
• Advocacy
– Visits to the Hill, Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), etc.
– Participation in coalitions – formal and
informal
– Participation at meetings of the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
– CopyNight (next slide)
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CopyNight
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Why Does the Library
Community Care About
Information (Technology)
Public Policy?
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Once Upon a Time… The Beaver!
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In a Simpler Time (1)
• Physical stuff
• Physical building
• Very few alternatives for users
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In a Simpler Time (2)
• Enabled by the First Sale Doctrine
– Codified in Section 109 of copyright law
• Enabled by fair use
– Codified in Section 107 of copyright law
• Generally constrained by technology –
copies, especially good copies, were hard to
make
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Not Simple Anymore:
What’s Changed?
• Digital information
• Networks
• World Wide Web
 Key: Diffusion in the general population,
for everyday information products &
services
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Implications for Libraries:
Information
• What is lending?
– World with perfect and nearly costless copies
• What is fair use?
– Huge change in mixing and matching info
– Expectations of the general public
• How does preservation change?
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Implications for Libraries:
Networks
• Beyond the library: Who are the users?
– Still have the previous users, but add a whole
new set
• Greatly increased interest in broadband
• Therefore, much increased complexity
– Users may be anywhere
– Information resources may be anywhere
– Expectations of the general public
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Implications for Libraries:
World Wide Web
• Producers of content are everywhere
– Formal publishers as in the past
– New, informal publishers (e.g., blogs)
– Information that has existed previously, but
there wasn’t a practical way to “publish” it
• Access info everywhere; what is a
“collection”?
• Expectations of the general public
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Selected Public Policy Priorities
and Current Activities
(Excluding “Future of Libraries”)
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Networks:
Broadband Infrastructure (1)
• Need for improved broadband infrastructure
to libraries
– More than 50% of library buildings have
connection speed of 1.5 mbps or less
– Availability, affordability
– Technical support, administrative capability
• Stimulus package: NTIA, RUS
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Networks:
Broadband Infrastructure (2)
• Fiber to the library
– Long term solution
– Community information hub to support other
local entities
• Stimulus package
– Short paper, shopped around
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Networks: Library Connectivity
• New Initiative: Broadband Grants Program
– Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
– 7 pilot states
– Advisors to state librarians
– Focus on long-term: sustainability
• Regional library cooperatives – report
• Capacity planning
– Especially smaller / rural libraries
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Networks:
Federal E-rate Program
• What is it: Universal Service Fund,
discounts on telecommunications bills for
schools and libraries
• Issue: cumbersome program
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Training of state E-rate coordinators
Consulting
Improve data collection
Advocacy
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Networks: Other
• Network neutrality
– Filtering
• Broadband data mapping / availability
• Universal Service Fund, general reform
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Copyright: Domestic Activities and
Public Policy
• Copyright Advisory Network (CAN)
– www.librarycopyright.net
• L. Ray Patterson Award
• Copyright education and advice
– School Library Journal column
– Questions from members
• Orphan works
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Copyright: International Advocacy
and Related Issues
• International Copyright Advocates Initiative
– World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) meetings: Participation, treaties,
developing countries
– “Education” of U.S. delegation
– Advocacy with the Obama Administration
• Traditional cultural expression
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Public Access to Information
• Google Book Search proposed settlement
– Workshop last week
– Amicus brief in progress
• New project: Portable devices, libraries,
and public policy
• In progress: Policy brief on diversity of
information sources
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Public Access to Information
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Directions for the
Future of Libraries –
OITP Program and Approach
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New Programmatic Initiative
• OITP’s Program on America’s Libraries
for the 21st Century
– Need emerged from my review of OITP in fall
2007 and subsequent discussion at our Retreat
• Increase emphasis on strategic directions
• Many scattered, narrow, mostly short-term efforts
occurring within the library community – need
synthesis and focused efforts for the future
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Rationale
• In midst of major revolution in libraries,
perhaps biggest since Andrew Carnegie
• Forces for the next revolution in libraries
are occurring external to the community –
Technological, Societal, and Institutional
• The community is practitioner-oriented –
focus is on providing good service today
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Approach – Assumptions
• ALA / OITP is not a think tank, so bottom
line must be action
• Proper action cannot be articulated without
extensive information collection & analysis
• Information collection process also provides
foundation for later action
• Working with relevant parties outside of the
library community is critical for success
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Approach – Near-term
• Develop policy brief on the powerful forces
of change and implications for libraries
• Develop policy brief on cutting-edge
services in libraries
• Develop policy brief on current thinking on
the future of libraries
– Synthesis, written in English, based on the
literature review we generated in fall 2008
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Approach – Longer-term
• Develop policy brief on visions for
tomorrow
• Develop action agenda
• Develop Web portal for the future of
libraries
• Obtain additional (foundation) funding
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Future of Libraries –
Selected Trends and
Preliminary Thoughts
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Work in Progress
• Following comments are based
on work in progress
• Accordingly, these views may
change and will certainly
become more refined in the
coming months
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A: Tomorrow’s Users Will Be
Different From Today’s Users (1)
•
Baby boomers retiring – 77 million
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View retirement differently – 2nd career, give
to community; highly educated cohort
Familiar with Internet and online services
•
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Expect to use these services to keep in touch,
health info/services, and e-government
Expected to live longer – avg. life expectancy
of 82 years; more years in “retirement”
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A: Tomorrow’s Users Will Be
Different From Today’s Users (2)
•
Echo boomers rising – 70 million
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Children of baby boomers
Includes “digital natives”
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Nomadic communication style
Multi-tasking
Preference for concise info in small bites
Preference for experiential learning, customization
Think and process info differently??
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A: Tomorrow’s Users Will Be
Different From Today’s Users (3)
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Ethnic diversity
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Majority minority in year 2042
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Latinos – biggest subgroup
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For children, by the year 2023
High school performance lags whites
Need support to move into higher wage jobs
Geographic diversity
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Continued shift to the West and South
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B: Continued Growth/Acceleration
of Deployment of Portable Devices
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“Mobile phone” as primary connection
tool for most of the world by 2020
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Much more powerful: blend of today’s laptop
and cell phone
Increasing expectation that desired
information can be obtained on the mobile
phone
Within and outside of the library building
Beyond “made-for-mobile” info and services
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C: Many Other Aspects of
Technological Advances
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Widespread broadband, wireline & wireless
Augmented reality and virtual reality
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Voice interface
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From niche to primary user interface?
From niche applications to primary interface?
Massive data stores, sensors
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Bring library resources to life with real and realtime data?
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D: Library as Place While Repository
Role Continues to Diminish
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Libraries continue to be about people, not
stuff
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Use continues to increase, Internet
notwithstanding
Need for physical coming together?
Librarians as credible, trusted advisors
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Role in online spaces
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E: Education
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Changes in education delivery? A
prediction that 50% of high school courses
delivered online by 2019 (Christiansen)
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Implications for library services
Need for physical learning/gathering spaces?
And what of higher education?
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F: Institutional and Market
Considerations (1)
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“Competition”: Leave It to Beaver vs.
Now
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Bookstores and their cafes; Starbucks
Online access (e.g., newspapers)
Online capabilities not available 10 or 20
years ago (e.g., Google)
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Search
Increasingly content
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F: Institutional and Market
Considerations (2)
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Place for accessing information (from
libraries to everywhere)
Boundaries are become fuzzier: archives,
museums, community colleges, education
sector, information services companies,
community center, social service agency (help
with job searching, applying for government
services), etc.
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F: Institutional and Market
Considerations (3)
•
The library community has strategic
advantages
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Fundamental values / core principles
Physical infrastructure of communities
Social infrastructure of communities
Credible advisor on information resources
What should we do??
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Discussion
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Discussion
• For further information…
• Check out our Web site – http://www.ala.org/oitp
(work in progress – conversion to new ALA-wide
Web reorganization)
• Or contact me – Alan Inouye,
[email protected], 202-628-8410
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